Territory



(No Model.)

A. B. TUTTON- v BREAST PUMP. No. 361,910. Patented Apr. '26., 1887.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANAXIMANDER B. TUTTON, OF SIOUX FALLS, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

BREAST-PUM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,910, dated April26, 1887.

(No model.)

T (1. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANAXIMANDER B. TUT- TON, of Sioux Falls, in thecounty of Minnehaha, Dakota Territory, have invented an ImprovedBreast-Pump, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved breast-pump.

Numerous forms of breast-pumps have been devised for this purpose, allof which are more or less objectionable in consequence of their severemechanical action and their irregular pulsating strain. In most casesthe vacuumchamber is a compressible elastic bulb, which in expandingexerts its full suction upon the breast, and this,too, in anintermittent manner. In my breast-pump the full force of the suction isexerted not upon the breast alone, but partly upon a water-leg or columnof water and milk in along siphon-tube, which modifies its effect on thebreast, while the pulsations of the bulb are broken up and rendered morelike a uniform suction, the water-leg exerting a pull upon the breast inthe interval of compressing the bulb, which makes the suction on thebreast continuous and prevents the nipplesocket from becoming detachedfrom the breast in said intervals of compression of the bulb.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application and use ofmy invention; and Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of thebreast-pump.

In the drawings, A is a bell-shaped socket or cap, adapted at its largerend to fit against the breast of the woman and to inclose the nipple ofthat breast. The smaller end of this socket A opens into a tube, 13,near one end of that tube. socket A is an elastic bulb, C, orsuction-chamber, the other (or lower) end of tube B being open. The tube13 is a flexible rubber tube, and when in use occupies the pendentposition shown in Fig. 1.

The manner of operation is as follows: The socket A is held against thebreast of the W0- man so as to inclose the nipple, and with sufficientpressure to prevent air from entering between the rim of A and the skinof the womans breast. The lower end of tube B is then submerged in wateror other liquid of proper temperature contained in a basin or othervessel. The bulb O is then compressed and allowed to On the end of tubeB nearest to expand, which action of expansion sucks water (preferablywarm) or other liquid from the basin into the tube B, and through itinto socket A and into bulb O. The water or other liquid thus furnishedto socket A fills that socket and immerses the wo'mans nipple inclosedtherein. Then bulb C is alternately compressed and allowed to expand,the lower end of tube '13 being during the operation always submerged inthe liquid in the'basin, and the socket A being during the operationalways pressed against the breast with suffrcient pressure to preventair from entering socket A between its rim and the skin of the woman sbreast. It is obvious that if the socket A were a perfect bulb orchamber, or had its larger end closed with an inflexible .material andwere then filled with water, the tube B and the bulb C at the same timecontaining water, then neither the compression nor the expansion of bulb0 could remove by suctionany of the water from such a bulb or chamber,although the stress of the suction would apply upon the water in such abulb or chamber and through the water upon the sides of the inside ofsuch a bulb or chamber. This principle, acting in my device, serves tokeep socket A (when once filled) full during the entire operation, thusproviding a constant immersion of the womans nipple in water or otherfluid during the entire operation, for in my device the compression andexpansion of bulb O and the flow of water or other liquid through tubeB, together with the weight of the column of water or other fluid insiphontube B, creates a suction force acting upon the water or otherliquid in socket A, and through that liquid upon all parts interior tosocket A, and therefore upon the nipple and ends of the lactiferousducts of the woman. This suction force draws milk from the lactiferousducts into socket A, releases a corresponding quantity of water or otherliquid from socket A, which flows therefrom into tube B, and, mixingwith the water or other liquid in tube B, is finally dischargedtherefrom into the basin; and this operation continues as long as thedevice is in position and in operation, socket A, however, remainingfilled.

It is obvious, in the operation of my device, that, however strong theexpansive force of bulb C may be, its force, acting upon the nipple andthe human parts inclosed in socket A, is measured and tempered by theheight of the column of water or other liquid in tube B, and this heightmay be increased or diminished by lowering or raising the basin and theend of tube 13 therein, and this tempering of the expansive force ofbulb O to suit various degrees of tenderness in the human parts is oneof the advantages of my device. If, however, at any time it be desirableto allow bulb O to exert its whole force upon the human parts, it isonly necessary (after compressing bulb G) to pinch or otherwise closetube B, and while tube B is so closed to allow bulb O to expand, andthis, too, while the womansnipplc is submerged in the water or otherliquid in socket A.

Another advantage is in the use of warmth and moisture in the operationof milking a Woman where there is no child or where the child isincompetent, and in cases where, although there is a competent child,yet, the mother being diseased, it is desirable to waste the milk, forthe application of warmth and moisture to the nipple closely simulatesthe natural Warmth and moisture of a childs mouth, and brings the nippleand the milkorgans into the natural conditions for milkgiving,becausesuch warmth and moisture dissolves the dry accumulations of pusor fever product, softens the hardened openings, and relaxes thestrictured lactiferous ducts and prepares them for the easier extractionof milk.

I am aware that other breast-pumps are known and used-such, forinstance, as are shown in Patents Nos. 72,604, 11,135, and 71,459. Inthe first of these the valves preclude the oscillation of the liquidcolumn. In No. 11,135 the suction-chamber is at the bottom, and cannotlift or oscillate the liquid column, and in No. 71,459 there is no suchrelation of siphon-tube and suction-chamber which could permit the sameaction to occur as in my invention.

-Instead of the expansible and compressible bulb 0, any other formofsuction-chamber may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- Abreast-pump consisting of a relatively U long tube, B, a nipple-socket,A, opening into the same, and a compressible and expansible bulb orsuction-chamber communicating with ANAXIMANDER n. TUTTON.

Witnesses:

BEnsVEN HAVDAHL, VVILLIs H. BOOTH.

